In a little café

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha Santhe was tired. Everything had gone alright and her speech at the technical institute of the University of Rudrig was a rousing success, however it was all so dull. She had, of course, studied at the University before like many Santhes, but being a child prodigy she had gone much earlier. She was excited to learn then, and often hung around the older students. It was a strange time.

The University was sprawled across the planet with each of the many campuses containing their own infrastructure. This particular campus town has large restaurants and a particularly nice café that she had frequented when she was a girl. The place was busy, and there was only a single empty tables. “I don’t remember needing to sit on someones lap to get a seat,” she said aloud as she approached the table. She procured her datapad and placed her code cylinder into it accessing the data. New droid schematics sat next to engines. “Yes, some caf please,” Sasha said, “And maybe one of those pulled bantha steak sandwiches.”

The waitress smiled. She was an older woman and remembered the little girl that was Sasha. “Anytime Lady Santhe.”

Lady Santhe. Even at a young age she had been nobility. Ruler of planets and a vast business empire. She scrolled about on her pad and looked at the latest droid design. Medical droid from the biotech firm. “Morons…” she said examining the power matrix, “This is all wrong.”

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

What was she doing on Rudrig? Well, wasn't that the question...

Ever since leaving the Confederacy, the Techno Union, and therefore the company of Marek Starchaser, her life had once again been in a state of upheaval. Funny how it was once again more-or-less by her own doing. Sure, she didn't at all agree with the actions taken at Druckenwell, and had followed Manu when he left because of it... but that didn't mean in any way that she hadn't struggled with the decision. Her life was fairly stable again, and therefore, so was Token's. Leaving again meant uprooting not only herself, but Token as well. It was strange, having to consider the wellbeing of someone other than herself on a daily basis. It was quite a steep learning curve in getting used to that.

But things were not so bad, this time. She had Manu, and now a job with Cestus Cybernetics, which had her totally psyched. Which was cool, but... then... why was she here? Well, the answer was simple...

Contacts. Connections.

...and maybe friends, but that was entirely up to one [member="Sasha Santhe"], who was not horrendously younger than her. It hadn't been difficult to track her down, which was why just two seconds after Sasha expressed her annoyance at what Sindy guessed was the idiocy of others (an opinion the half-echani girl shared, but usually kept to herself, though she saw it everywhere) while glancing at the datapad over the shoulder of the younger girl.

"Ecch," she started, making a sound that could be best approximated as a cross between a 'tsk' and the seething hiss most people made when a wound stung, "yeah, that's a bleeder."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha smiled at the other woman. She was bright enough, smarter than most. The young woman flinched at the painful sound coming from [member="Siyndacha Aerin"]. "I know right?" she said referring to the energy bleed. "It is like these people... I just..." Sasha threw her hands up to make a point. "Mediocrity rules. Schools are graduating less and less fantastic people. Fewer geniuses so they can push out higher volume." Sasha frowned as she put the datapad down. "Simple economics, you increase supply while lowering quality to saturate the market, unfortunately you then cheapen your product. To make your product seem more high scale you then raise prizes, tuition. You make more money while the quality of your product goes down. And eventually because of your complete and utter mismanagement..." Sasha clapped her hands together, "Boom."

She shook her head. "Why is everyone obsessed with bigger?" And then a little devilish smile appeared on her face, "besides the obvious of course." A giggle would escape her lips if she allowed it. "It seems to me that smaller is the superior option in many cases."

Picking up the the datapad she started to run some numbers. "Quality and volume," she said handing over the pad. "Microscopic into the bloodstream. Limited programing, designed for a certain function. Lets clean out the arteries, or attack a virus." She bit lower lip. "The cost would be astronomical, but for those willing to pay, for those whose lives are on the line? Why not?"

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

She took a seat, propped her elbows up on the table, laced her fingers under her chin, and took it all in as the other girl talked and divulged opinions that rang true with her own thoughts and beliefs. She wouldn't have tried to say a word - Sasha Santhe was on a roll, and it would ruin her point to interrupt. Giggle when she giggled, because it was funny, and yes there was a time when such innuendo would have went over her head. Of course, when the datapad was handed off to her, and the brunette tied up her commentary with mostly rhetorical questions, the platinum blonde girl spoke again.

"Not everyone is born with it," she said offhand, not raising her eyes, looking over the numbers, "Schooling only gets them so far anyway, Sasha Santhe, and you know it. People like us only go through the system because some officiated piece of paper is the only thing that gets the point across. Paper, not proof, is the sad validation of intellect.

She scrolled, eyes still fixed on the 'pad. The waitress came back. Unusually on top of her game, one pale and slender finger went up to pause the older woman before she had a chance to speak.

"And age the indicator for being taken seriously. But yes, smaller, and yet... why not? Just think of all the pharmaceutical companies. The biotech firms. The outrage, and the roadblocks that would go..."

Then and only then did she pause, when her hand started to tire from holding that position of one-finger-in-the-air. The finger and the hand lowered. Silvery-blue eyes scaled up to the face of the waitress, who didn't look as if she appreciated being put on hold.

"Sorry... uhm..." she began, glancing at Sasha, "...just water, please, and..."

What was it? Sindy flicked a few fingers in Sasha's general direction, looking back at the waitress.

"...the same sandwich."

Caf made her loopy.